Enabling/disabling applications using face authentication

ABSTRACT

A first processor may receive a first request, from a first user, to initiate a first application. The first processor may initiate a first recording device. Initiating the first recording may include executing firmware embedded in the first recording device. The first processor may validate the identity of the first user using the first recording device. The first processor may initiate the first application. Initiating the first application may include loading and executing a first operating system associated with the first application.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of digitalsecurity, and more specifically to identity authentication duringtwo-way communication.

Built into many tablets, cellphones, and computer systems are webcams.Webcams provide the ability for a user to perform many functions, suchas, web conferencing or video messaging. There are many warnings aboutturning off webcams unless needed at a specific time or for a specificuse.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a method, computer programproduct, and system for enabling or disabling webcams using facialauthentication. A first processor may receive a first request, from afirst user, to initiate a first application. The first processor mayinitiate a first recording device. Initiating the first recording mayinclude executing firmware embedded in the first recording device. Thefirst processor may validate the identity of the first user using thefirst recording device. The first processor may initiate the firstapplication. Initiating the first application may include loading andexecuting a first operating system associated with the firstapplication.

The above summary is not intended to describe each illustratedembodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings included in the present disclosure are incorporated into,and form part of, the specification. They illustrate embodiments of thepresent disclosure and, along with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure. The drawings are only illustrative ofcertain embodiments and do not limit the disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an example system in the process ofestablishing a two-way communication connection, in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart an example method for allowing a firstuser to have access to a first application and a second user to haveaccess to a second application, in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for validating theidentity of a first user using a first recording device, in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts a cloud computing environment, in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts abstraction model layers, in accordance with embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a high-level block diagram of an example computersystem that may be used in implementing one or more of the methods,tools, and modules, and any related functions, described herein, inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

While the embodiments described herein are amenable to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shownby way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that the particular embodiments describedare not to be taken in a limiting sense. On the contrary, the intentionis to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fallingwithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to the field ofdigital security, and more specifically to identity authenticationduring two-way communication. While the present disclosure is notnecessarily limited to such applications, various aspects of thedisclosure may be appreciated through a discussion of various examplesusing this context.

A first user may desire to verify the identity of a second user that thefirst user is communicating with over a communication device (e.g., acellphone, a desktop computer, a laptop, etc.). The first user mayadditionally desire to ensure that they are the only user allowed accessto a specific application on the communication device. In both cases,the first user may turn to identification verification techniques thatutilize recording devices (e.g., cameras, webcams, microphones, etc.)included in both the first user's and the second user's communicationdevices.

In some embodiments, a first processor (e.g., on a first communicationdevice) may receive, from a first user, a first request to initiate afirst application. The first processor may initiate a first recordingdevice. In some embodiments, initiating the first recording device mayinclude executing firmware embedded in the first recording device. Thefirst processor may validate the identity of the first user using thefirst recording device. In some embodiments, the first processor mayinitiate (e.g., initialize, load data, start-up, etc.) the firstapplication. In some embodiments, the first processor may initiate thefirst application in response to validating the first user. Initiatingthe first application may include loading and executing a firstoperating system associated with the first application.

For example, a user owning a touchscreen smartphone may tap on a textmessaging application icon. The smartphone may identify, from thetaping, that the user wants to open the text messaging application andthe smartphone may direct a front facing camera on the smartphone toturn on. The smartphone, using the front facing camera may analyze theface of the user, and scanning the photos saved in the smartphone may,with a 98% confidence (e.g., certainty, confidence threshold) determinethat the user, as owner of the phone, is allowed to access the textmessaging application. The smartphone may then initiate the textmessaging application.

In some embodiments, firmware (e.g. facial recognition firmware, etc.)on the first recording device may direct the first processor to initiatethe first recording device. That is, following the example above, thefront facing camera may automatically turn on due to identifying thatthe user desires to access the text messaging application. Thesmartphone does not have to direct the front facing camera to turn on,that is, the operating system of the smartphone does not have to beloaded and executed to turn on the front facing camera. The benefit tohaving firmware on the first recording device is that it is less likelyfor firmware to be altered by an attacker (e.g., computer hacker, etc.)versus other software (e.g., an application, operating system, etc.)executed by the first processor. An additionally benefit to havingfirmware is that an operating system would not have to load to performthe authentication, which would allow any user to use face-basedauthentication to determine whether to boot-up an application. In someembodiments, if the identity of the first user is not validated, thefirst application may not be initiated and the first user may be barredfor using the first application until validity of the first user'sidentity is confirmed.

In some embodiments, a second processor (e.g., on a second communicationdevice) may receive, from a second user, a second request to initiate asecond application. The second processor may initiate a second recordingdevice. Initiating the second recording device may include executingfirmware embedded in the second recording device. The second processormay validate the identity of the second user using the second recordingdevice. In some embodiments, the second processor may initiate thesecond application. Initiating the second application may includeloading and executing a second operating system associated with thefirst application. In some embodiments, the second processor (and/or thefirst processor) may establish a communication connection between thefirst processor and the second processor. In some embodiments, inresponse to establishing the communication connection, the firstprocessor may allow the first user to use (e.g., operate, etc.) thefirst application and the second processor may allow the second user touse the second application.

In some embodiments, the first application and the second applicationmay be the same application used for communication between users. Forexample, an employer may try to initiate a web-conference with anemployee. The employer, on their laptop computer, may click theweb-conference icon associated with web-conference application and thewebcam built into the laptop may turn on. The webcam, using firmwareencoded only for the webcam, may validate the employer's identity usinga database of company founder headshots and begin initiating theweb-conference application (e.g., booting, starting, etc.).

Additionally, the employee, on their laptop computer, may click theweb-conference icon associated with the web-conference application andthe webcam built into the employee's laptop may turn on. Using firmwareencoded on the employee's webcam, the employee's webcam may validate theemployee's identity using a database of employee headshots and initiatethe web-conference application. Using the web-conference application,the employer's laptop and the employee's laptop may identify that boththe employer and the employee have initiated the same web-conferenceapplication and establish a two-way communication link between theemployer and employee's laptops. The employer and employee may now beable to communicate through the web-conference application.

In some embodiments, request(s) to initiate the application(s) by thefirst and/or second users may be made through a webpage or internetprogram. In some embodiments, if the identity of the second user is notvalidated, the second application may not be initiated and the seconduser may be barred from initiating the second application untilvalidation of the second user's identity is confirmed. In someembodiments, if the first user's and/or the second user's identity isnot validated, no communication connection may be established.

In some embodiments, the second processor may receive a verificationcommand from the first processor. The second processor may allow thefirst processor to access the second recording device. In someembodiments, the first processor may validate, in response to beingallowed access to the second recording device, the identity of thesecond user using the second recording device. The first processor mayvalidate the identity of the second user using the second recordingdevice so as to not allow access to the first user's recording device incase the second user is not who they say they are. (e.g., neither thefirst user's recording device, nor their communication device may becompromised).

Following the example above, before establishing the two-waycommunication link between the employer and employee's laptops, theemployer's laptop (e.g., by way of have stricter security layers and/orprotocols) may send a command that allows the employer's laptop toverify the employee's identity. The employee's laptop may receive thecommand and allow the employer's laptop to access the employee's webcam.The employer's laptop may access the database of employee headshots andverify that the employee is who is connecting to the web-conference. Insome embodiments, the employee's laptop (e.g., the second processor) mayperform the functions aforementioned or the employer's laptop and theemployee's laptop may both perform the functions aforementionedsimultaneously (e.g., the second processor verifying the identity of thefirst user and the first processor verifying the identity of the seconduser).

In some embodiments, the first processor may revalidate the identity ofthe first user using the first recording device. The first processor maydetermine, in response to revalidating the identity of the first user,to keep the communication connection between the first processor and thesecond processor established. In some embodiments, if the identity ofthe first user is not revalidated, the communication connection may beterminated and the first user may be barred from accessing the firstapplication until revalidation is confirmed.

For example, a webcam on a software developer's desktop computer may beprogrammed to revalidate the developer's identity every 15 seconds toensure that no one is able to pilfer the code they are developing. Theidentity of the developer may have already been verified via a webcam ontheir desktop computer and the webcam may have verified every 15 secondsfor 30 minutes that the developer is still the individual working on thedesktop. However, at 30 minutes and 15 seconds the webcam may activateand identify that the developer is not in-front of the desktop (e.g.,either a new person is in-front of the desktop or the developer has leftand no person is visible to the webcam). The webcam may terminate thecoding application that the developer is working on and shutdown accessto the computer until validation of the developer's identity isconfirmed. In some embodiments, the desktop may save any work beingcreated in an application before terminating the application.

In some embodiments, to validate (or revalidate) the identity of thefirst user using the first recording device, the first processor maygenerate a snapshot of the first user using the first recording device.The first processor may analyze the snapshot of the first user byaccessing a database. In some embodiments, the database may include oneor more representations associated with the first user (e.g., an image,a video, an audio recording, etc.). In some embodiments, the firstprocessor may determine that the snapshot is within a validationthreshold.

For example, a user, using a cellphone, may be having a phoneconversation with a person. The cellphone may periodically (e.g., every10 seconds) take a sample of the conversation (e.g., a snapshot) andanalyze the user's voice to verify that the user is on the phone. Thecellphone may use the user's voicemail as a verified voice associatedwith the user and compare the sample to the voicemail. The cellphone maydetermine that the sample has a voice that is a 95% match to thevoicemail (e.g., a validation threshold). The cellphone may determinethat a 95% match is enough to validate the identity of the user andcontinue to let the call be connected to the person.

In some embodiments, if the cellphone determines that the sample isbelow a threshold (e.g., 80%, etc.) the cellphone may increase theperiod of sampling (e.g., to every 5 seconds). In some embodiments, thecellphone may terminate the call connection if the sample is below athreshold. For example, the user's friend may have taken the user'scellphone and may have begun talking to the person. The cellphone maytake another sample of the conversation and compare the sample to thevoicemail. The cellphone may determine that the voice in the sample is a10% match to the voicemail and terminate the call to the person.

In some embodiments, the verification command sent from the firstprocessor and received by the second processor may include an embeddedkey associated with the second user. In some embodiments, the embeddedkey may be a representation of the second user. In some embodiments, thefirst processor may use the second recording device and identify thatthe second user and the representation of the second user are within avalidation threshold.

For example, two coworkers may have only communicated over email for thepast two weeks, and each coworker may only know the other's face from athumbnail picture associated with the respective coworker. The coworkersmay determine that it is time to have a video-conference and begin bystarting a video-conference application on their respective computers.The first coworker's computer may take the thumbnail picture and embedthe thumbnail picture into a verification command as a public key. Thefirst coworker's computer may send the verification command with theembedded thumbnail picture to the second coworker's computer, and thesecond coworker's computer may allow the first coworker's computer toaccess the second coworker's webcam.

The first coworker's computer may analyze the second coworker's faceusing the webcam and using the second coworker's face as a private key(e.g., the second coworker's computer only grants access to its cameraif the thumbnail picture matches the second coworker's face), the firstcoworker's computer may verify the second coworker's identity bycomparing the second coworker's face to the second coworker's thumbnailpicture. The first coworker's computer may determine that the secondcoworker's face and second coworker's thumbnail picture are a 90% match(e.g., 90% instead of 95% or even 100% because the second coworker had adifferent lighting when the thumbnail picture versus the desk lampilluminating him now) and establish the web-conference connection. Insome embodiments, the second coworker's computer may verify the firstcoworker's identity (e.g., both parties verify the other's identity)before establishing the web-conference connection.

In some embodiments, the first processor may generate a first snapshotof the second user using the second recording device during a first timeperiod. In some embodiments, the first time period may be within apredetermined time interval. In some embodiments, the first processormay analyze the first snapshot of the second user by accessing adatabase. In some embodiments, the database may include one or morerepresentations associated with the second user. The first processor maydetermine that the first snapshot is not within a validation threshold.The first processor may alert the first user with an indicator that thecommunication connection will be terminated.

In some embodiments, the first processor may increase the predeterminedtime interval. The first processor may generate a second snapshot of thesecond user using the second recording device during a second timeperiod within the increased time interval. The first processor mayanalyze the second snapshot of the second user by accessing thedatabase. The first processor may determine that the second snapshot isnot within a validation threshold. The first processor may terminate thecommunication connection. In some embodiments, terminating thecommunication connection may shut down the first application and thefirst recording device.

For example, a video call may already be established and in progressbetween a husband using a laptop and a wife using a smartphone. Thesmartphone may be set to validate the husband's identity within an 85%degree of certainty every 20 seconds (e.g., if the degree of certaintyis within the range of 85% to 100%, the husband's identity isvalidated). The smartphone may then after the first 20 seconds of theestablished video call, take a snapshot of the video call using thelaptop's webcam. The snapshot may include a 1 second video clip of thehusband's face and him saying “okay.” The smartphone may then accessvideos and photos on the smartphone, and using facial recognition andaudio techniques built into the smartphone, identify videos and photosassociated with the husband. The smartphone may identify from thehusband's voice saying “okay” and his face, that the wife is 99% talkingto her husband.

In the next 20 seconds the husband may leave his laptop and exit theroom where he was video calling. Additionally, his identical twinbrother with a higher octave voice may enter the room and begin chattingwith the wife. The smartphone may take another snapshot that includes a1 second video clip of the twin brother saying “hi.” The smartphone mayagain access the videos and photos stored on smartphone and determinewith only a 90% degree of certainty that the wife is speaking with thehusband. The smartphone may note that the degree of certainty dropped 9%and alert the wife with a text message and/or outlining the video callscreen in red that her husband may not be on the other end of the videocall and that the video call may be terminated. The smartphone may thenincrease the snapshot interval time to 5 seconds, in order to providemore sampling for validation of the husband.

The smartphone may then after 5 seconds take another snapshot of thetwin brother. The snapshot may include a 1 second video clip of the twinbrother laughing. The smartphone analyzing the snapshot against videosand photos in the smartphone may identify the laugh in a video and nowdetermine with a 45% degree of certainty that the wife is talking withthe husband. The smartphone may come to a 45% degree of certainty basedon the 100% degree of certainty that the higher octave laugh does notbelong to the husband (e.g., a 0% degree of certainty that it is thehusband), however the facial recognition is at a 90% degree of certaintythat it is the husband (e.g., because of the similarity between theidentical twin brothers). The smartphone may then determine that thedegree of certainty is too low and disconnect the smartphone from thevideo call. In some embodiments, the smartphone may present the wifewith a notification that allows the wife to choose to disconnect fromthe video call or not.

Referring now to FIG. 1, depicted is a block diagram of an examplesystem 100 in the process of establishing a two-way communicationconnection, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Insome embodiments, the system 100 may include a first computer 102 and asecond computer 112. The first computer 102 may include a first camera104 (e.g., a first recording device) and a first display 106 (e.g., ascreen, etc.). The second computer 112 may include a second camera 114(e.g., a second recording device) and a second display 116.

In some embodiments, the first computer 102 may receive a first requestto initiate a first application 130 from a first user. The first usermay input the first request into the first computer 102 using agraphical user interface displayed on the first display 106. In someembodiments, upon receiving the first request on the first display 106from the first user, the first computer 102 may follow path 108 andinitiate the first camera 104. The first computer 102 may validate theidentity of the first user using the first camera 104. The firstcomputer 102 may initiate the first application 130.

In some embodiments, the second computer 112 may receive a secondrequest to initiate a second application 132 from a second user. Thesecond application 132 may be the same application as the firstapplication 130 (e.g., the same web-conferencing application, textingapplication, etc.). The second user may input the second request intothe second computer 112 using a graphical user interface displayed onthe second display 116. In some embodiments, upon receiving the secondrequest on the second display 116 from the second user, the secondcomputer 112 may follow path 118 and initiate the second camera 114. Thesecond computer 112 may validate the identity of the second user usingthe second camera 114. The second computer 112 may initiate the secondapplication 132.

In some embodiments, upon validating the identity of the first user, thefirst computer 102 may send a verification command via path 122 to thesecond computer 112. In some embodiments, upon receiving theverification command, the second computer 112 may allow the firstcomputer 102 to access the second camera 114. The first computer 102 mayvalidate the identity of the second user.

In some embodiments, upon validating the identity of the second user(either by the first computer 102 or by the second computer 112), thesecond computer 112 may send a verification command via path 120 to thefirst computer 102. In some embodiments, upon receiving the verificationcommand, the first computer 102 may allow the second computer 112 toaccess the first camera 104. The second computer 112 may validate theidentity of the first user.

In some embodiments, upon both the first computer 102 and the secondcomputer 112 validating (e.g., verifying) both the first user's and thesecond user's identities, a two-way communication connection may beestablished between the first computer 102 and the second computer 112.It is noted that all the steps described above in relation to FIG. 1 maybe performed simultaneously or in any order. In some embodiments, one ormore of the steps described with respect to FIG. 1 may not be performedat all. For example, in some embodiments the first computer 102validates both the first user and the second user, while the secondcomputer 112 only validates the second user.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated is a flowchart an example method200 for allowing a first user to have access to a first application anda second user to have access to a second application, in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the method200 may begin at operation 202. At operation 202, a first processor mayreceive, from a first user, a first request to initiate a firstapplication.

In some embodiments, the method 200 may proceed to operation 204, wherethe first processor may initiate a first recording device. In someembodiments, the method 200 may proceed to operation 206, which will bedescribed more fully in FIG. 3. At operation 206, the first processormay validate the identity of the first user using the first recordingdevice. In some embodiments, after validating the identity of the firstuser at operation 206, the method 200 may proceed to operation 208. Atoperation 208, the first processor may initiate the first application.

In some embodiments, the method 200 may proceed to operation 210. Atoperation 210, a second processor may receive, from a second user, asecond request to initiate a second application. In some embodiments,the first processor and the second processor may be on separatecomputing devices (e.g., separate servers, computers, smartphones,tablets, etc.). In some embodiments, the first and second applicationsmay be the same applications. In some embodiments, the first request andthe second request may be the same request and simultaneously receivedby both the first processor and the second processor. For example, amoderator of a web-conference may send an invitation to theweb-conference to two coworkers. The invitation may simultaneously startthe identification verification of both the coworkers using theirrespective webcams.

In some embodiments, the method 200 may proceed to operation 212. Atoperation 212, the second processor may initiate a second recordingdevice. In some embodiments, the method 200 may proceed to operation214, where the second processor may validate the identity of the seconduser using the second recording device. In some embodiments, the method200 may proceed to operation 216. At operation 216, the second processormay initiate the second application.

In some embodiments, the method 200 may proceed to operation 218. Atoperation 218, the first processor (and/or the second processor) mayestablish a communication connection between the first processor and thesecond processor. In some embodiments, the method 200 may proceed tooperation 220. At operation 220, the first processor may allow the firstuser to use the first application and the second processor may allow thesecond user to use the second application.

In some embodiments, the first processor and the second processor may bethe same processor. For example, the first user and the second user mayboth send requests to initiate the same application housed on acloud-server, the cloud-server (e.g., the first and second processors)may use the first and second recording devices to verify each user andallow each user to have access to the application. In some embodiments,after operation 220, the method 200 may end.

As discussed in more detail herein, it is contemplated that some or allof the operations of the method 200 may be performed in alternativeorders or may not be performed at all; furthermore, multiple operationsmay occur at the same time or as an internal part of a larger process.For example, in some embodiments operations 210-220 may not be performedat all. Instead, the first user may be granted access to the firstapplication as part of initiating (e.g., starting) the first application(e.g., an operating system or other application) in operation 208 (e.g.,after his identity has been validated).

Referring now to FIG. 3, illustrated a flowchart of an example method300 for validating the identity of a first user using a first recordingdevice, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Insome embodiments, the method 300 may be performed as part of operation206 of FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the method 300 may use the firstprocessor to revalidate the identity of the first user. In someembodiments, the method 300 may use the second processor to validate theidentity of the first user. In some embodiments, the method 300 maybegin at operation 302. At operation 302, the first processor maygenerate a snapshot of the first user using the first recording device.

In some embodiments, the method 300 may proceed to operation 304. Atoperation 304, the first processor may analyze the snapshot of the firstuser by accessing a database. In some embodiments, the method 300 mayproceed to decision block 306. At decision block 306, the firstprocessor may determine if the snapshot is within a validationthreshold. If, at decision block 306, the first processor determinesthat the snapshot is within the validation threshold, the method 300 mayend. In some embodiments, upon ending the method 300, the firstapplication may be initiated as described above in relation to operation208 of FIG. 2.

In some embodiments, if, at decision block 306, the first processordetermines that the snapshot is not within the validation threshold, themethod 300 may proceed to operation 308. At operation 308, the firstprocessor may halt the initiation of the first application. In someembodiments, after operation 308, the method 300 may end. In someembodiments, if the first processor halts the initiation of the firstapplication at operation 308, the method 200 of FIG. 2 may also behalted and stopped at operation 206.

It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrative cloud computing environment 410 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 410 includes one or morecloud computing nodes 400 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 400A, desktop computer 400B, laptop computer 400C,and/or automobile computer system 400N may communicate. Nodes 400 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 410 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 400A-Nshown in FIG. 4 are intended to be illustrative only and that computingnodes 400 and cloud computing environment 410 can communicate with anytype of computerized device over any type of network and/or networkaddressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 5, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 410 (FIG. 4) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 5 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted below, the followinglayers and corresponding functions are provided.

Hardware and software layer 500 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 502;RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 504;servers 506; blade servers 508; storage devices 510; and networks andnetworking components 512. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 514 and database software516.

Virtualization layer 520 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers522; virtual storage 524; virtual networks 526, including virtualprivate networks; virtual applications and operating systems 528; andvirtual clients 530.

In one example, management layer 540 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 542 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 544provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may include applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 546 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 548provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 550 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 560 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 562; software development and lifecycle management 564;virtual classroom education delivery 566; data analytics processing 568;transaction processing 570; and identifying an identifiable media 572.

Referring now to FIG. 6, shown is a high-level block diagram of anexample computer system 601 that may be used in implementing one or moreof the methods, tools, and modules, and any related functions, describedherein (e.g., using one or more processor circuits or computerprocessors of the computer), in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In some embodiments, the major components of thecomputer system 601 may comprise one or more CPUs 602, a memorysubsystem 604, a terminal interface 612, a storage interface 616, an I/O(Input/Output) device interface 614, and a network interface 618, all ofwhich may be communicatively coupled, directly or indirectly, forinter-component communication via a memory bus 603, an I/O bus 608, andan I/O bus interface unit 610.

The computer system 601 may contain one or more general-purposeprogrammable central processing units (CPUs) 602A, 602B, 602C, and 602D,herein generically referred to as the CPU 602. In some embodiments, thecomputer system 601 may contain multiple processors typical of arelatively large system; however, in other embodiments the computersystem 601 may alternatively be a single CPU system. Each CPU 602 mayexecute instructions stored in the memory subsystem 604 and may includeone or more levels of on-board cache.

System memory 604 may include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 622 or cachememory 624. Computer system 601 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 626 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magneticmedia, such as a “hard drive.” Although not shown, a magnetic disk drivefor reading from and writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic disk(e.g., a “floppy disk”), or an optical disk drive for reading from orwriting to a removable, non-volatile optical disc such as a CD-ROM,DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided. In addition, memory 604can include flash memory, e.g., a flash memory stick drive or a flashdrive. Memory devices can be connected to memory bus 603 by one or moredata media interfaces. The memory 604 may include at least one programproduct having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that areconfigured to carry out the functions of various embodiments.

One or more programs/utilities 628, each having at least one set ofprogram modules 630 may be stored in memory 604. The programs/utilities628 may include a hypervisor (also referred to as a virtual machinemonitor), one or more operating systems, one or more applicationprograms, other program modules, and program data. Each of the operatingsystems, one or more application programs, other program modules, andprogram data or some combination thereof, may include an implementationof a networking environment. Programs 628 and/or program modules 630generally perform the functions or methodologies of various embodiments.

Although the memory bus 603 is shown in FIG. 6 as a single bus structureproviding a direct communication path among the CPUs 602, the memorysubsystem 604, and the I/O bus interface 610, the memory bus 603 may, insome embodiments, include multiple different buses or communicationpaths, which may be arranged in any of various forms, such aspoint-to-point links in hierarchical, star or web configurations,multiple hierarchical buses, parallel and redundant paths, or any otherappropriate type of configuration. Furthermore, while the I/O businterface 610 and the I/O bus 608 are shown as single respective units,the computer system 601 may, in some embodiments, contain multiple I/Obus interface units 610, multiple I/O buses 608, or both. Further, whilemultiple I/O interface units are shown, which separate the I/O bus 608from various communications paths running to the various I/O devices, inother embodiments some or all of the I/O devices may be connecteddirectly to one or more system I/O buses.

In some embodiments, the computer system 601 may be a multi-usermainframe computer system, a single-user system, or a server computer orsimilar device that has little or no direct user interface, but receivesrequests from other computer systems (clients). Further, in someembodiments, the computer system 601 may be implemented as a desktopcomputer, portable computer, laptop or notebook computer, tabletcomputer, pocket computer, telephone, smart phone, network switches orrouters, or any other appropriate type of electronic device.

It is noted that FIG. 6 is intended to depict the representative majorcomponents of an exemplary computer system 601. In some embodiments,however, individual components may have greater or lesser complexitythan as represented in FIG. 6, components other than or in addition tothose shown in FIG. 6 may be present, and the number, type, andconfiguration of such components may vary.

As discussed in more detail herein, it is contemplated that some or allof the operations of some of the embodiments of methods described hereinmay be performed in alternative orders or may not be performed at all;furthermore, multiple operations may occur at the same time or as aninternal part of a larger process.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosurehave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of specificembodiments, it is anticipated that alterations and modification thereofwill become apparent to the skilled in the art. Therefore, it isintended that the following claims be interpreted as covering all suchalterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scopeof the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving, from a first user, a first request to initiate a firstapplication on a first computing device; initiating, by a firstprocessor, a first recording device of the first computing device,wherein the first recording device is a first camera, wherein initiatingthe first recording device includes executing firmware embedded in thefirst recording device, and wherein executing the firmware causes thefirst recording device to record during boot-up of the firstapplication; validating the identity of the first user using the firstrecording device; initiating the first application, wherein initiatingthe first application includes loading and executing a first operatingsystem; receiving, from a second user, a second request to initiate asecond application on a second computing device; initiating, by a secondprocessor, a second recording device of the second computing device,wherein the second computing device is a second camera, whereininitiating the second recording device includes executing firmwareembedded in the second recording device, and wherein executing thefirmware causes the second recording device to record during boot-up ofthe second application; validating the identity of the second user usingthe second recording device; initiating the second application, whereininitiating the second application includes loading and executing asecond operating system; establishing a communication connection betweenthe first processor and the second processor; allowing, in response toestablishing the communication connection, the first user to use thefirst application and, the second user to use to the second application;receiving, from the first processor, a verification command, wherein theverification command includes an embedded public key associated with thesecond user, wherein the embedded public key is a thumbnail picture ofthe second user; allowing the first computing device to control thesecond recording device of the second computing device, wherein allowingthe first computing device to control the second recording deviceincludes allowing the first computing device to record the second userusing the second recording device; validating, in response to the firstcomputing device being allowed to control the second recording device,the identity of the second user using the first computing device,wherein the first computing device uses the recording of the second useras a private key to validate the identity of the second user; receiving,from the second computing device, a second verification command, whereinthe second verification command includes a second embedded public keyassociated with the first user, wherein the second embedded public keyis a second thumbnail picture of the first user; allowing the secondcomputing device to control the first recording device of the firstcomputing device, wherein allowing the second computing device tocontrol the first recording device includes allowing the secondcomputing device to record the first user using the first recordingdevice; and validating, in response to the second computing device beingallowed to control the first recording device, the identity of the firstuser using the second computing device, wherein the validating of thefirst user using the second computing device is simultaneous to thevalidating of the second user using the first computing device.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: identifying, bythe first processor using the second recording device, that the seconduser and the representation of the second user are within a validationthreshold.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: revalidating,by the first processor, the identity of the first user using the firstrecording device; and determining, in response to revalidating theidentity of the first user, to keep the communication connection betweenthe first processor and the second processor established.
 4. The methodof claim 3 further comprising: generating a first snapshot of the seconduser using the second recording device during a first time period,wherein the first time period is within a predetermined time interval;analyzing the first snapshot of the second user by accessing a database,wherein the database includes one or more representations associatedwith the second user; determining that the first snapshot is not withina validation threshold; alerting the first user with an indicator thatthe communication connection will be terminated; increasing thepredetermined time interval; generating a second snapshot of the seconduser using the second recording device during a second time periodwithin the increased time interval; analyzing the second snapshot of thesecond user by accessing the database; determining that the secondsnapshot is not within a validation threshold; and terminating thecommunication connection, wherein terminating the communicationconnection will shut down the first application and the first recordingdevice, and wherein terminating the communication will disconnect thefirst processor and the second processor.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein validating the identity of the first user using the firstrecording device comprises: generating a snapshot of the first userusing the first recording device; analyzing the snapshot of the firstuser by accessing a database, wherein the database includes one or morerepresentations associated with the first user; determining that thesnapshot is within a validation threshold.